Question

    You probably know the name Christopher Robin from one of the most beloved children's books in history. But Christopher Robin Milne was a real person-the only child of Winnie the Pooh author A.A.Milne. It was his playtime in the woods with his parents and his favorite stuffed animal that inspired the series. However, the little boy would soon be thrust into the spotlight before he was even old enough for kindergarten, much less equipped to handle worldwide fame and recognition. Here's what Christopher Robin really thought of Winnie the Pooh and his own reluctant legacy(遗留下来的东西) as the hero of these stories.

Christopher Robin was born on August 21,1920.His father, Alan Alexander Milne, kept a home in London for the family, but they would often spend weekends at a country home called Cotchford Farm in East Sussex.That's the location that inspired many of the locales(故事发生的现场) in the books, including the Hundred Acre Wood. As for Winnie the Pooh, he was inspired by a real-life character, too. Well, sort of. A. A. Milne bought Christopher Robin a teddy bear named Edward Bear from Harrods of London for his first birthday, according to the New York Public Library. Christopher Robin renamed the bear Winnie after a real bear he saw at the London Zoo. Here's more about the real-life toys that inspired the other Winnie the Pooh characters.

The creation of the Winnie the Pooh stories was a family affair. In fact, A.A.Milne often credited his wife, Daphne, as a collaborator on the books because he was inspired by watching how she played with Christopher Robin, helping him bring the stuffed animals to life with different voices and personalities to suit each one.

The Winnie the Pooh sensation started with a short story that A.A.Milne wrote for the London Evening News. It was called “The Wrong Sort of Bees,” and it included Christopher Robin and his bear, Winnie the Pooh. But, according to the Smithsonian, the boy and his bear really rose to fame with the publication of A.A.Milne' s 1926 book that was illustrated by E.H. Shepard.

Fan mail poured in when people learned that there was a “real” Christopher Robin. The author would give his son those fan letters, introducing the little boy to his new, widespread fame. Christopher Robin was expected to respond to each fan letter with his nanny's help. He also appeared in a pageant(露天演出的历史剧）based on the Pooh characters and would participate in audio recordings of the books when he was only 7,which his cousin would later refer to as exploitation, according to the BBC.

Christopher Robin liked the Winnie the Pooh books at first, and he even enjoyed the fame. However, after a few years, those books that were so beloved to readers around the world became a burden to him. Christopher Robin went away to boarding school around the age of 9,at the height of Winnie the Pooch’s popularity, and he was bullied there. The other kids would play that record of Christopher Robin reading the poems about Winnie the Pooh and tease him mercilessly.

Plus, the real-life Christopher Robin was very different from the fictional character who shared his name, but people made the false assumption that he was truly like the character in the books. As a result, Christopher Robin felt very misunderstood. Here are more fictional characters you never knew were based on real people.

By 1929,A.A.Milne told reporters that he was “amazed and disgusted” by Christopher Robin's fame. Although he didn't go into detail about the problems that his son faced, the author felt that his son had already experienced more fame than he had intended or wanted for him. Realizing that his young son might be damaged by this, A.A.Milne swore never to write another children's book after the fourth Pooh book was published.

Still, as with most family situations, things were complicated. The Guardian reports that A.A. Milne was a bit in denial about the grave impact the fame had on his son, telling reporters on another occasion that Christopher Robin referred to himself as “Billy Moon” at home and claiming that the fame didn't impact them personally. That would prove to be untrue.

1.What happened to Christopher Robin after the series succeeded?

A.He stopped playing in the woods with his toys.

B.He became the center of worldwide attention.

C.He prepared himself for kindergarten education.

D.He refused to admit being the hero of these stories.

2.How did the creation of the Winnie the Pooh stories take place?

A.It resulted from Milne' s family cooperation.

B.It was inspired by Robin's first birthday party.

C.It was assisted by the real-life stuffed animals.

D.It began with a casual visit to a country home.

3.What do we know about the book The Wrong Sort of Bees by

A.It was cowritten by E.H.Shepard and A.A.Milne.

B.It helped the boy and his bear to achieve great fame.

C.It laid the base for the boy and his bear rising to fame.

D.It was published in 1926 according to the Smithsonian.

4.What was his cousin's attitude to Robin's participation in these activities?

A.Supporting. B.Aggressive.

C.Objective. D.Disapproving.

5.Why did Christopher Robin become tired of the fame after a few years?

A.Because he began to study in a boarding school.

B.Because he disliked the fictional character any more.

C.Because he shamed his name with the fictional character.

D.Because he suffered from the bullies and misunderstandings.

6.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A.People might mask their true feelings for certain reasons.

B.People are likely to make family situations more complex.

C.People should be encouraged to tell the truth to reporters.

D.People can be influenced by complicated family situations.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.D

5.D

6.A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。介绍了《小熊维尼》这本深受孩子喜爱的书背后的原型是作者Miline的儿子Robin，并介绍了随着这部书的火爆，Robin也因此遭受了由名声带来的一些负面影响。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中However, the little boy would soon be thrust into the spotlight before he was even old enough for kindergarten, much less equipped to handle worldwide fame and recognition.可知，然而，这个小男孩很快就被推到了聚光灯下，他甚至还没到上幼儿园的年龄，更不具备应付世界声誉和认可的能力。由此可知，在Winnie the Pooh系列图书成功之后，Christopher Robin成了全世界关注的中心。故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段首句The creation of the Winnie the Pooh stories was a family affair.可知小熊维尼故事的创作是一个家庭的事件。接着描述了Miline认为他的妻子是这个故事的合作者，因为妻子经常陪Robin玩耍。达芙妮帮米尔恩把这些毛绒玩具赋予了生命，赋予它们不同的声音和个性，以适应不同的角色。故是Miline一家的合作，促成了这个故事的创作。由此可知，小熊维尼的故事是Miline家庭合作的结果。故选A。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段中It was called “The Wrong Sort of Bees,” and it included Christopher Robin and his bear, Winnie the Pooh. But, according to the Smithsonian, the boy and his bear really rose to fame with the publication of A.A.Milne' s 1926 book that was illustrated by E.H. Shepard.可知它被称为 "错误的蜜蜂"，它包括克里斯托弗-罗宾和他的熊，小熊维尼。但是，根据史密森学会的说法，这个男孩和他的熊真正成名是随着1926年出版的A.A.Milne的书，这本书是由E.H.Shepard绘制的。由此可知，《错误种类的蜜蜂》这本书为男孩和他的熊成名打下了基础。故选C。

4.推理判断题。根据第五段中He also appeared in a pageant(露天演出的历史剧）based on the Pooh characters and would participate in audio recordings of the books when he was only 7,which his cousin would later refer to as exploitation, according to the BBC.可知据英国广播公司报道，他还在7岁时参加了以小熊维尼人物为原型的选美比赛，并参与了这些书的录音，他的表弟后来称这是一种剥削。由此可知，他的表弟不支持Robin出演活动。故选D。

5.细节理解题。根据第六段中However, after a few years, those books that were so beloved to readers around the world became a burden to him. Christopher Robin went away to boarding school around the age of 9,at the height of Winnie the Pooch’s popularity, and he was bullied there.The other kids would play that record of Christopher Robin reading the poems about Winnie the Pooh and tease him mercilessly.可知然而，几年后，那些深受世界各地读者喜爱的书籍成了他的负担。Christopher Robin在9岁左右去了寄宿学校，当时小熊维尼(Winnie the Pooch)正处于人气高峰，他在那里被欺负。其他的孩子会播放克里斯托弗·罗宾读维尼熊诗歌的录音，并无情地取笑他。由此可知，Christopher Robin在几年之后就厌倦了名声，因为他遭受了欺凌和误解。故选D。

6.句意猜测题。根据上文可知，因为书的火热，Robin因此受到了很多的痛苦折磨，Miline因此决定不再写关于孩子的书，结合后文中The Guardian reports that A.A. Milne was a bit in denial about the grave impact the fame had on his son, telling reporters on another occasion that Christopher Robin referred to himself as “Billy Moon” at home and claiming that the fame didn't impact them personally.可知据《卫报》报道，A.A. Milne在另一次采访中对记者说，Christopher Robin在家里称自己为“Billy Moon”，并声称名声对他们个人没有影响。可知，在另外一些场合下，Robin又宣称名声并没有对他个人造成影响，故划线句表明人们可能会出于某些原因掩盖自己的真实感受。故选A。